We’ve updated our policy on pet fees for emotional support animals

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We’ve updated our policy on pet fees for emotional support animals

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A pet-friendly space is one of the top amenities guests search for, which means welcoming four-legged friends can help you attract more bookings. Recently, we’ve rolled out pet fees and AirCover to make it easier to say “yes” to guests with pets. 


We’ve also changed our policy so you can charge a pet fee for emotional support animals, except in places where the law may prohibit it, like in California and New York. Service animals stay for free. You can read the new policy or get more info about adding a pet fee.

34 Replies 34

A service animal is trained to provide services and would always be properly trained, house broken and never left alone in the house.

 

Byron54
Level 10
La Ceiba, Honduras

I would like to allow only small dogs for a fee. But no dinosaur dogs, Airbnb should have this option so it can be added as a disclaimer when people are about to book with the pet fee.

Emilie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom


@Byron54 wrote:

I would like to allow only small dogs for a fee. But no dinosaur dogs, Airbnb should have this option so it can be added as a disclaimer when people are about to book with the pet fee.


@Byron54 Thanks for your feedback on the pet fee. Although it's not possible at the moment, I'll pass on your comments to the team!

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Merci de jeter un oeil aux Principes du Community Center/ Please follow the Community Guidelines

@Emilie  I don't know if there was any follow up on this but I fully agree.
One-size-fits-all is NOT ok for accepting or not accepting dogs!
A small 10 -20lb lap dog is not the same thing as a 100lb german shepheard!
Any dog that can be easily picked up and carried and presents less danger, less hair, less dejections, less volume of barking.
We should be able to select the size of the dog.
I might accept some toy dogs but I can't accept them because I can't differentiate.

Same thing for children:  Classifying all children from "babies" (a walking, talking 2 year old is not an "infant", in my book) and "children" from 2 to 13 means I must refuse all children.

I am not set up to welcom *toddlers* so from 1 year old to school age (5).  I can't exclude this age group, as a result I must declare "not suitable for any children".

 

 

Ben-and-Molly1
Level 2
Louisville, KY

What do we do if someone tells us after the fact that they are bringing their “service dog”? They’ve been given  Check in instructions and know that we don’t allow pets but now their dog is a service dog. How do we charge for this? I’m use to being around service dogs because I lived by the school for the blind for 10 years and there’s a big difference between service dogs and emotional support. I’ve found guests saying their emotional support dog is they’re “service dog”. This is dishonest and so discouraging as a host for 8 years this is the first year I’ve been flooded with guests who also just so happen to have “service dogs”. Please help 

@Ben-and-Molly1  You can't charge an extra fee for a service dog.  Airbnb's new policy allows hosts at no pet listings to say no to 'emotional support animals'.  If someone is bringing a service dog you can ask  if they are trained to perform a task and what that task is.  You can also remind the guest that a service dog is not expected to be left alone at the property for any length of time and link them to Airbnb's policy.  

Same here, but statistically only 1% of people with a disability have a real service dog. It doesn't add up when half of the requests say they are bringing a service dog to a non pet friendly property. 

Valerie1117
Level 1
Cle Elum, WA

I had a guest who did inquire about my property and bringing a service dog.  I replied that we were a no pet listing.  She wanted to stay for a month!! There is no way I would allow this.  There are many listings that are pet friendly in our area. My property is brand new and my husband is allergic, and this is extremely unfair to guests who book after a dog-stay that also could be allergic. They may be coming to my listing because it says NO pets.  Somehow Airbnb should push the pet friendly listings for service animals... As a private property owner how I could be "forced" to take a dog on to the property?  I would quit Airbnb if that happens.  

 

The result of the inquiry was that the future guest sent a somewhat nasty response to my non pre-approval giving Airbnb's policy link and told me to educate myself, and that they would not be coming where they are not welcomed.  OK. At least she did inquire! and for a month's stay!  I would have been horrified if she had just shown up for a month with a dog!

@Valerie1117  you should know that legally a real service dog is not considered a 'pet' but analogous to a medical device and that if this guest had reported you for refusing a service dog, you would have been given a warning or worse by Airbnb.  The only exemptions for service animals are if someone who lives on the property is allergic or if there are other animals living there that could create an unsafe situation.

 

I do agree that people with service dogs, even real ones, should try to find places that are pet friendly because these places are likely to be set up and have more extras for animals, such as bowls, pet beds, etc.

 

I'd recommend that you review Airbnb's policy on service animals to find out what  you can ask and what the expectations are of a service animal.

@Valerie1117 Valerie, I agree with you. It is not fair to us as homeowners that do not allow pets to have to accept a "Service Dog". There are so many "pet friendly" places that there should be no problem with them finding one. I have a small dog in my house but I would NEVER stay at a Pet Friendly rental. Not everyone keeps their animals clean, and what about SHEDDING animals? This is just not fair. I will have no problem dropping out from overnight renting if it means I have to give up my rights in my own home. 

If you have a situation with a cleaning after a dog has left and you are expecting another guest that afternoon, that is not fair to the next guest. 

Not everyone likes dogs or cats, that is fine but they should not have to rent an overnight place where there has been one. A NON PET FRIENDLY rental means just that!

This is not a good rule and I am applaud that anyone would think this is ok.  

 

Tammy480
Level 2
Inman, KS

I'm new to the Air  BNB hosting. Just remodeled an entire home and decided to give this a try. I have a no pet policy. If I am forced to start hosting guests with pets I will stop hosting. I don't need to clean up after pets who may be left on the property to possibly make messes etc.  Cleaning up after humans is enough. The price of real estate is good enough now it would make me think about selling instead of the cleaning/damage headache. My daughter has a small dog who's hair is like needles and sticks to everything. Extremely hard to clean off furniture and carpet. When she visits I have a nice large canvas dog play pen the dog stays in and the dog prefers it because it's her own place and feels secure.  I appreciate all the comments on this subject because it sounds like it could be a problem.

@Tammy480  We've been hosting since 2015 and have not once even gotten a request for a service dog, we have had a handful of requests for 'emotional support animals' but every time we have linked to Airbnb's guidelines that state the animal is expected to be with the handler at all times and not left alone in the space, the guests have withdrawn.  We do have the benefit of being an urban area where people come to sightsee in New York, and we also have a good number of international guests, so that puts is fairly low on the scale of places people are probably going to want to bring any animals to.

Thank you, I will do the same. That helps ease my mind, I appreciate your post and information.

Justine275
Level 5
Ghent, NY

Hello from New York state. Please link to where our state laws would not allow charging for an ESA or denying a stay request for an ESA? Note: I understand NYC has their own laws but I’m looking for the legal language that applies to folks outside the city. 

Kimberly718
Level 10
North Stonington, CT

I am amazed at how many people want to travel with their dogs, when I go on vacation I want to take a break from pet care but I run a farm with over 100 animals so my perspective perhaps is different. I have actually found pet owners are way easier than young parents and kids. I get ahead of things by pointing them to my house rules after they book and clearly they didn't read before they booked. I also let them know that we live on the property so we're available if they need anything. This I believe is a nice way of letting them know not to break the rules. We have not had any service animals or requests to bring an ESA. We are not in NY or CA so ESA's are a none issue but if I was I would just make the best of the situation and buy things to protect furniture. We put a basket by the door with towels to clean feet and a cover the for the couch. They pay an extra pet fee so I think of it as a little extra for added revenue. If only they could add a kiddie fee, little humans make a much bigger mess.